Wading pool



Sept. 24, 1957 Filed OCT.. 19, 1955 N. MUSKIN' ET A1.4

WADING POOL INVENTORS NAT/MN Mask/,v SuM E. BAPREPA avm, mb@

ATTORNEY United States Patent WADING PooL Nathan Muskin, Kingston, andSam E. Barrera, Mountain Top, Pa., assignors to Muskin ManufacturingCo., Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania ApplicationOctober 19, 1955, Serial N0.l541,403

6 Claims. (Cl. 4-177) The present invention relates generally toimprovements in support frames, furniture and the like, and inparticular it relates to an improved collapsible wading pool.

The conventional childrens portable wading pools are generally ofcollapsible nature to facilitate the handling and storage thereof. Theseusually include a tank formed of a rubberized fabric or flexible plasticmaterial carried by a leg mounted supporting frame formed of structuralor tubular members. The support frame is shipped in an unassembledcondition and must be put together by the purchaser who then secures thetank to the support frame. Numerous separable fastening devices, such asscrews or nuts and bolts have been required to effect the assembly ot'the support frame and considerable care and manipulation were required.As a result, considerable time was needed for the assembly. The samedrawback accompanied the disassembly of wading pools for storage.

It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide animproved structural device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved tanksupporting structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedportable wading pool.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedportable, collapsible wading pool.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide animproved collapsible wading pool characterized by the ease, rapidity andsimplicity of its assembly and disassembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcollapsible wading pool characterized by the absence of conventionalseparable fasteners, such as screws and nuts and bolts.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a simple,rugged, inexpensive, easy to assemble and disassemble, collapsiblechildrens wading pool.

The above and further objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a reading of the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of an improved wading pool embodyingthe present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded detailed perspective view, partially brokenaway, of the upper corner construction of the tank supporting frame; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view, partially in section andpartially broken away, illustrating a corner of the support frame inassembled condition and the supported tank.

ln a broad sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of animproved wading pool comprising a support frame mounted on and carriedby a plurality of spaced legs, stringers .extending between said legs toform a closed frame, said legs having horizontal slots formed thereinadjacent to the respective edges of said stringers, said stringers beingprovided with depending tongues releasably engaging said slots, and anopen-topped tank releasably suspended from said stringers.

rrice Another feature of the present invention resides in the improvedarrangement for supporting the wading tank from the frame member whichincludes a relatively rigid band located along the upper edge of thetank and having regularly spaced openings formed therein engagingcorresponding hook elements formed along the Stringer members.

Referring now to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodimentof the present invention, the numeral 10 generally designates a frame ofrectangular configuration carried upon upright legs 12 and supporting anopentopped tank 14. Legs 12 are preferably formed of sheet metal, andinclude upright angle members having outer side walls 16 carrying ontheir top edges a substantially rectangular plate 18, preferably for-medintegral with the side walls 16. The inner edges of top plate 18 areprovided with downturned flanges 20, and the inner edges of the sidewalls 16 are provided with inwardly directed anges 24. Formed in plate18 along and parallel to each of the inner edges thereof are a pair oflaterally spaced slots 26 and 28 respectively. A vertical slot 27 isformed in each of the side walls 16 along the inner edge thereof andspaced a short distance below the top wall 18. The corners and edgesdened by the junction of the top wall 18 and the side walls 16 arerounded oit', as seen in Figure 2. The bottom of the leg side walls 16are provided with inwardly directed ilanges 30.

Frame 10 is formed of longitudinally and laterally spaced pairs ofparallel stringers 34 extending between and carried by the top portionsof the legs 12. Each Stringer 34 includes a at, longitudinally extendingplate 36 which may be formed of sheet metal or any other suitablematerial having a flange 38 depending from its inner edge, and a flange40 depending from its outer edge and joined to the plate 36 by a largeradius arcuate surface, as at 42. The upper faces of plates 36 deiineseat or bench surfaces and may be appropriately decorated. Suitable lips44 are formed along the free edges of the plate 36 and the anges 38 and40.

Each Stringer is provided at the ends thereof with a vdownwardlydirected L-shaped reinforcing member 46 -edge of the member 46 adjacentto the inner end thereof,

tongue 54 being of parallelogram configuration having a rearwardlydirected corner 56, this second tongue 54 being adapted to engage thecorresponding slot 26.

The lower outer edge of leg 50 is provided with an inwardly directedtongue 58 adapted to engage the corresponding slot 27. lt should benoted that the spacing between tongues 52 and 54 is such that when theinner y,corner 60 of tongue 54 substantially abuts the confronting edgeof slot 26 the tongue 52 is in full registry with the slot 28.Furthermore, the member 46 is sufficiently resilient to permit theoutward springing of the leg Si) to permit the simple assembly anddisassembly of the stringers and legs.

The tank 14 is open-topped and of substantially rectangularconfiguration and may be formed of a rubberized fabric or a suitableexible organic plastic material in any well known manner. Relativelyrigid bands or strips 64, preferably formed of a light gauge aluminum orother suitable material, are secured to the upper edge of the tank 14 bysewing, riveting, stapling, or in any VWithout departing from the spiritthereof.

other suitable manner. The strips 64 have formed therein regularly,longitudinally spaced, vertically extending slots 66, preferably ofkeyhole configuration or of greater Width at their base than at theirtop, as illustrated. Lomd 810mg the inner face Of Stringer ange 38 arereg- ,Y lgngiwdinally spaced, upwardly directed hook elementsl which arepreferably integrally formed with the being cut and shaped therefrom.Hook ele- @ents 8 engage the slots 66 formed in the tank strips Q6,thereby to support the tank 14 in a suspended fashion from Athe `frame44.

In `asaemblying the improved wading pool of the pres- It invention theend of each of the stringers 34 is se the respective leg 12 by aligningthe tongues 52 and 54 with the corresponding slots 28 and 26. The ilger34 is pressed downwardly to effect the engagement between the tongues 52and 54 and the slots 28 Yand 26. During the downward movement of theStringer the leg 50 is sprung slightly outwardly and then Springs backinto position upon the tongue 58 registering with the slot 27 therebyelfecting the engagement of the We# and the slot. The above assemblyaction is a ingle step deined by one continuous motion.

After Lthe complete assembly of the frame 10 and legs 12,. aforesaid,the tank 14 is applied to the frame by bringing the slots 66 formed inthe tank strip 64 into lement with the corresponding hook element 68carried on the'anges 38.

In collapsing the wading pool the assembly operation l The tank 14 isfirst removed; The stringers 34 are then separated from the legs 12 byspringing the 1111150. outwardly whereby to effect the disengagementbetween the tongue 58 and slot 27 whereafter the Stringer 34 is liftedto remove the tongues 52 and 54 from the dots 28 vand 26.

Y Whilevthere has been described and illustrated a preferred embodimentof the present invention, it is apparent lint numerousfalternations andomissions may be made It is important to note that whereas the frameassembly mechlias been described as applied to a wading pool it n may beadvantageously applied to other structures such as support frames,furniture, such as tables, chairs and the like, sand boxes, etc. 7 Weclaim:

l. An improved device comprising two longitudinally spaced pairs oflaterally spaced upright legs formed of angle members having outwardlydisposed side walls and horizontal ledges disposed adjacent the upperedges there- 0f, said ledges having horizontal Slots formed therein andsaid side Walls having apertures formed therein below the upper edgesthereof, and stringers extending between and carried by the upperportions of said legs and being provided adjacent their free ends withdepending tongues releasably engaging said slots and with depending armshaving inwardly directed tongues engaging said apertures.

2; An improved device in accordance with claim l, wherein said armsdepending from said stringers are formed of resilient material to permitdisengagement between said tongues carried thereby, and saidcorresponding apertures.

3. An improved device in accordance with claim l,

wherein said horizontal ledges form parts of correspond.

ing plates extending between the upper edges of said respective anglemembers.

4. An improved device in accordance with claim l, including a pluralityof hook elements carried by and located along the inner edges of saidstringers, an open topped tank formed of a flexible material, and arelatively rigid reinforcing band located along and secured to the upperperipheral edge of said tank, said reinforcing band having spacedapertures formed therein releasably engaging said hook elements.

5. An improved device in accordance with claim l, wherein there areprovided at least two of said tongues adjacent each of the free ends ofeach of said'stringers.

6. An improved device comprising two longitudinally spaced pairs oflaterally spaced upright legs provided with horizontal ledges disposedadjacent the upper edges thereof, said ledges having upwardly directedtop faces and having horizontal slots formed therein, stringersextending between said legs and having underfaces resting upon theupwardly directed top faces of said ledges, and tongue elementslepending from said stringers adjacent to the free ends thereof andreleasably engaging said horizontal slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

